Throughout one’s life, one will face a never ending battle with one’s own identity. One has yet to find the true purpose of humans in this world. This leads many to seek their own meaning and purpose in this world. Siddhartha, the main character in Herman Hesse’s novel, is one who is conflicted with his own desires to seek his purpose in this world. Siddhartha has everything a man could ever wish for, wealth, beauty, and knowledge. However, Siddhartha fails to feel happiness because of everything he was blessed with. He feels he still has a spiritual void to fill, throughout his journey, Siddhartha seeks answers for the questions that have been pondering on his mind.
Siddhartha was the son of a Brahmin, yet he questioned so much about their teachings. Siddhartha wanted to stray from their teaching and go “his own way” (Hesse 9). Siddhartha wanted to seek a life that had a bigger meaning than the one he was living. Siddhartha seeked for teachings that the preacher had actually experienced personally, without the personal experience, it leaves Siddhartha with countless unanswered questions. Siddhartha was not with simply having what everyone desired, to him a life like that is living with an illusion of “sense, happiness, and beauty” (Hesse 14). One could relate to Siddhartha’s ideology, is life truly about what people make it up to be. Is one’s only purpose in life is to obtain wealth, starting a family, obtaining an education? There is so much more than to life than what were made to believe. Siddhartha has the upmost respect for his father, yet Siddartha still questions whether has all the answers to his questions. It was up to Siddhartha to find exactly what’s he’s been loathing for.
Siddhartha was not satisfied by just simply living my life, so he started his journey in discovering himself both spiritually and emotionally.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:23:25 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive.

Reply

Tony Chau

9/2/2015 12:04:56 pm

The world is full of questions but individuals can seek their own truths. The novel, "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse, revolves around Siddhartha and how he transforms himself to become enlightened of his identity. Siddhartha was a man who grew up rich, prosperous but he had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He questioned the world and his own identity. Thus, it lead him to search for answers and possibly awaken to a new person. Siddhartha traveled with his best friend, Govinda, and went to different paths later on. Siddhartha is searching for his identity and gaining knowledge until he is satisfied.
Siddhartha questioned himself and the world around him. He was yearning for discovering new beliefs and answering his questions about himself and the world. However, the answers he found through the teachings didn’t satisfy him nor gave himself an idea of who he is. He has, “become distrustful of teachings and learning” (Hesse 22). Siddhartha was taught by many teachers but none of them could interest him. The teachings he learned was not helpful in solving his questions and discovering the truth of his identity. This allowed him to reflect upon himself and evolve into someone new. He awakened with a new idea that he was his own teacher and had control of his own life now. Siddhartha was able to awaken as a new human being from reflecting on events that happened to him and different teachings.
Siddhartha began to search answers of his own identity and the questions he had about the world itself. Siddhartha questioned himself as a person. It relates to people who do not have an idea of what their future will be. Teachers, parents, or peers offer suggestions of who they are and develop their own identity. However, those suggestions may not help because every individual is different. They must learn from their mistakes and use that to develop who they are and identity. Siddhartha relates to myself because I have the same questions about who I am. The difference is that I have not awakened yet and I do not know how to. I reflect upon myself but I do not feel change. Hopefully, in the future I am able to fully understand and trust myself completely in order to identify myself as a strong individual. The world has full of questions but individuals must find themselves first before they can discover the truth.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:23:52 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. gc

Reply

Maria Zamarripa

9/2/2015 12:27:09 pm

Thirst for knowledge can lead people on wild goose chases. In this book Sidartha has a very good life but was not happy. He was always questioning different things and he wanted to know more about a lot. Discontentt ith his life he decides to join a group f men that "leave the self". He does many different things to satisfy the thirst that he has but he still is not happy. Through this experience he learns a lot but it is not enught to satisfy .
He goes through much and loses a lot. He has to leave his people and then suffer. Whenn he is a part of this group of men he realizes he is not satisfied just yet. He goes to this man that he has heard about to learn about his knowledge . When he finishes he learns that " He must gain experience himself " ( Hesse,47).
The thirst for knowledge I can relate to in a way. I have wodered how many different things in our lives work. I try to think of different ides and possibly figure out the answer myself.This want for knowedge is in anyone. The dofference though is that I am satisfied when I get an answer or even if don't I do not let it get in the way of how I live later.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:24:21 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. On the short side.

Reply

Anthony Rodriguez

9/2/2015 12:31:11 pm

Everyone searches for what they see best in their lives for themselves. In the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Siddhartha is trying to find inner peace for himself. He makes everyone around him happy but not himself. Siddhartha seems to see himself as a Samana to be happy and find his true self.
Siddhartha pleaded peacefully to become a Samana to his father. This is shown in the book when it is stated,“ I should not like to hear you make this request a second time ...and at the last hour, before daybreak, he returned again, entered the room and saw the young man standing there. He seemed tall and a stranger to him...the father realized that Siddhartha could no longer remain with him at home --that he had already left him” (Hesse 11-12). He then knew Siddhartha had to do this so he gave him the chance. I relate to Siddhartha in the way that i want o find myself and who I am but unlike Siddhartha I do not know where to start.
This is was Siddhartha’s method of finding himself and everyone does the same yet some are allowed earlier like him and others are not.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:25:08 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Make sure to capitalize the word "I" always.

Reply

Esmeralda Rojas

9/2/2015 01:33:45 pm

There is moments in life that may cause a person to be on a hunt for something better. "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse is about a young man named Siddhartha. He is popular and admirable among his community. The story takes place in ancient India, centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. Siddhartha is in search for satisfaction and the meaning to life. He hopes to feel "empty."

Siddhartha is in search for satisfaction. His life didn't quite feel complete. Though Siddhartha was very well respected and pleased everyone, he "was not happy" (Hesse 5). Siddartha satisfied everyone else in his life. The audience can quickly assume that Siddhartha lives good life. But yet, he was dissatisfied. He wanted something more. "Siddhartha had one single goal-to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow..." (Hesse 14). Although it seemed like Siddhartha lived an enjoyable life, he wanted more. He didn't have the answers to his questions. Siddhartha did not feel complete. I relate to Siddartha because I also don't feel complete in my life. I struggle to find out the person that I am. Just like Siddhartha, I hope to find satisfaction in my life. Siddhartha's situation is relatable to everyone and is understandable.

Siddhartha was in search for satisfaction. He lived a life that could be envied by others. Despite all his success in his life, he still wasn't happy. He was on a search so he can be able to feel complete. Siddhartha's situation is the same for many people today. Whether others live a life as good as Siddhartha or much worse, people desire to want more. People want to be able to feel complete and be genuinely happy with their lives.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:25:31 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good work.

Reply

Benito Lira

9/2/2015 01:59:13 pm

The struggle of searching for treasure in ancient caves or ghostly sunken ships is incomparable to the struggle of searching for ourselves and our meaning in this world. In Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, the protagonist Siddhartha is going on the difficult quest of finding himself and true happiness. Siddhartha is not happy with his good looks and wealthy lifestyle, so he joins a group of poor ascetics with his friend to see if that shall bring him joy. Later he hears of a wise man people are calling Gotama and the two venture off to hear the wise man’s words. Siddhartha goes through all this purely so he can discover himself and inner happiness. His journey is similar to all people’s journey for happiness, although Siddhartha does what contemporary, ordinary people consider extreme.
Siddhartha goes through a lot relatively early in the novel so he can try to find happiness. He leaves his home, his family and his riches, lives with ascetics for about 3 years, and then venture off into to the unknown to find a man he only knows through rumors. All this seems very drastic but it is worth the effort to Siddhartha. He is determined to “conquer [his] Self” as the rumored man, the Buddha has (Hesse 35). This is Siddhartha’s goal. This is his endgame. He wants to absolve himself from the sorrows of life to find bliss. It is a similar goal to people everywhere, although they may go about it differently than Siddhartha. The final result is all the same though. Everyone wants to achieve true happiness and become like a Buddha, joyous, peaceful, and wise. Siddhartha only wants what humans have been wanting since our creation.
Siddhartha is searching for the path to true happiness. This is something all human beings can relate to and should always strive to achieve. I have discovered who I am for the most part, but I feel it is too early in my life to contemplate whether I have achieved true happiness. Siddhartha has lived to experience more than I have so I hope as I grow older, I can have experiences that will help me discover true happiness as Siddhartha is doing. Our experiences can change who we are, so I feel as if I need a few more experiences in life to see how I can work towards happiness. Whether or not we achieve true happiness, it is evident that the journey to happiness itself is what shapes us, and if we never attempt to take the journey, we will be stuck in place for the rest of our lives.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:26:01 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good Analysis.

Reply

Dessery Torres

9/2/2015 02:09:24 pm

Throughout one's life there comes a point where you ask yourself who am I? Many may have their answer at the top of their head; however many are still in search for their answer. In the novel “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse the main character named Siddhartha is trying to figure out his own identity. Siddhartha being the most perfect human being would be expected to have a perfect happy life; on the other hand, he is not. He is an unhappy human being who is in search for knowledge.. He searches for more than just being beautiful, and having wealth. “-but never had he quite reached it, never had he quenched the final thirst”(Hesse,8). Hermann Hesse explains that never did Siddhartha reach the “thirst” which means he never found anyone who he could attain knowledge from. While on the road to finding Siddhartha's own identity he seeks to obtain knowledge as well.
In the beginning, Siddhartha questions being a Brahmin which is what he grew up being and what his father expects him of being. While on the journey of trying to find who he is he encounters new beliefs such as being a Saman and the teachings of being a Buddha. However, through those beliefs he isn't able to find the answer he wants. In the end he says “I told you-- that I have become distrustful of teachings and learning and that I have little faith in words that come to us from teachers”(Hesse,22). Siddhartha is explaining to Govinda that after going through being a Saman he doesn't quite believe in teachings and learning from a teacher. Since Siddhartha doesn't learn anything from the beliefs he encounter he doesn't find answers about himself or who he is. He begins to reflect on himself and how “he was now a man”(Hesse,37). In the end he realizes that he is his own teacher who is in charge of his own identity. “I have indeed awakened and have only been born today”(Hesse,40). Siddhartha awoke as a new person and no longer is what he was but now simply is Siddhartha.
As a final point, Siddhartha tries to find himself through beliefs and teachings but eventually realizes he is his own teacher. Being seen as the perfect human being, did not show what he felt in the inside and that is confusion on his identity. Being confused about who he is began his search for answers. Many can relate to Siddhartha because like Siddhartha he tried new things in order to find himself. Many who try and find their identity try new things and in the end they may find who they are and if not they keep searching for their answer.

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good Points.

Reply

Maria Nunez

9/2/2015 02:15:28 pm

It takes twenty-five- years for someone to find their true identity, some people don’t wait and instead they go look for it. In the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the reader is able to see how the main character struggles and searches for his values. One is able to see that is not easy for him to leave everything behind in order to find out who he is, but he leaves so he could become a better person. Siddhartha leaves his family family values behind in search for his true identity, and in order to love himself the way other people love him. People always wonder who they are, and what their identity is because sometimes they might not connect to the ones they grew up with.
Each individual grows up with the beliefs that are inherited by generations before them, so it is difficult to put them on paused and question if they connect to them or not. Siddhartha is a son a of a Brahmin, a member of the highest Hindu caste, in which they have beliefs that are somehow different of Semanas. He grew up in a place where many people admired him because he was, “strong, handsome, supple-limbed, [and always] greeting [people] with grace”(Hesse 4). Siddhartha was a respectful person, everyone loved him for being who he was, but yet he wasn’t happy with what he had. Therefore, he decided to become a Samana, something that his father didn’t agreed to, but he wanted to try it out before accepting his future. “Immediately he moved on..no longer homewards, no longer to his father, no longer looking backwards”(Hesse 42). He wanted to try new experiences on his own without the need of someone else, because after all it was his identity he was looking for. At the end part one, the reader is able to read that Siddhartha after realizing things about himself decides to come the place where he was born because he was a newborn man.
I relate to Siddhartha by how I try experiences on my own so I know what I’m capable of and what I’m not. My parents sometimes don’t agree with them, but it my identity that I’m looking for, so how I’m going to find it if I don’t search for it. Just like Siddhartha, I’m looking for who I am, I want to know new things about life, so I could be more open-minded to the diversities around me. Siddhartha was in search to find who he was, and along the way he found a new Siddhartha that he was happy with, and I hope one day I get to find my happiness.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:27:30 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good connections to self.

Reply

Emily Ortiz

9/2/2015 02:24:02 pm

Life is a quest, that people can fulfill their own wishes with, some just wish to know the simplest questions while others want to know, how did humans come to be ? Siddhartha a man loved by all, is not happy with himself. He has a thirst for knowledge that cannot be drenched by a few lessons, he must find every answer to his every question. In the novel “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse, a boy goes on a journey to find himself in the midst of the world. In the language of primary hinduism it is two words combined that mean sidda (achieved) and artha (what has search for) together meaning “He who has achieved what he has searched for”. Born into a family where Siddhartha never had to worry about any trivial matters such as money or food, an illustrious lifestyle and a pretty face, and yet he was not happy all he ever wanted was to be enlightened by knowledge. Siddhartha ventures into unknown lands with, a follower and friend, Govinda to douse his questions with answers.
Siddhartha comes to terms with the fact, no mere lesson can supply him with all the knowledge he yearns for so he journeys off to find the answers for himself. The scene with gotama captures this perfectly, here Siddhartha finds great teaching but his hunger is still roaring. Gotama says, “Let me warn you, you who are thirsty for knowledge, against the thicket of opinions and the conflict of words. Opinions mean nothing...anyone can embrace them or reject them” (Hesse 31). Although Siddhartha has reached “the highest goal which so many thousands of Brahmins and Brahmins’ sons are striving to reach” (Hesse 31). He still strives for a greater enlightenment. One that would knock the socks off him. Siddhartha has yet to feel satisfied.
I relate to Siddhartha in multiple ways. I relate to him in the fact that I would want to learn more about the world, about where we came from, and about various topics. Like anthropology, sociology, cryptology, cosmology, zoology, psychology, neurology and so many more topics. I just am a very curious person. In addition, I would like to find myself as well by traveling.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:28:07 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good literature to self connections.

Reply

Ashley Morales

9/2/2015 02:35:53 pm

Being dissatisfied with the ones self is a normal emotion for man kind throughout the world. In the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the protagonist, Siddhartha, has everything going for him except having satisfaction with his own identity . He is a handsome, smart, wealthy young man; a person to succeed much greater than those around him. Siddhartha seeks to find a new identity for himself through wisdom.
Siddhartha is in search for contentment with himself through spiritual enlightenment. He seeks wisdom because “the vessel was not full, his intelligence was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still”(Hesse 5). Siddhartha wanted more than what he was already taught, he wanted to get his questions of the world answered as many other humans do. He believes that with his questions of the world answered, he will discover his identity and be satisfied; however, it is not always so. He did not get all the answers to all of his questions, just as I do not either. When it comes to religion I tend to question every single detail they teach me. The questions I ask are hardly ever answered, and it frustrates me because I cannot follow a religion that I myself cannot understand fully. Following a religion with many questions with no answers leaves an emptiness inside of my soul. Just as Siddhartha seeks wisdom and enlightenment about life, I too seek it about religion. I believe that if I were to get all the questions I ask answered, I will be able to identify myself more easily, and I will no longer be empty and unsatisfied. Knowledge is important to identity, and without it a person cannot be who they seek to become.
Siddhartha faces trouble when he seeks an identity that will satisfy him. It is not easy to define ones self identity, and many are not pleased with who they are. Siddhartha and I share a common interest in seeking wisdom about the world and religion. We both as questions in hope for answers that will lead us to finding ourselves. Despite what everyone thinks for/about us, we desire more to be content with ourselves. It is a natural human emotion that many people must go though in their life.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:28:50 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Text to self connections.

Reply

Antoinette Viaje

9/2/2015 02:48:05 pm

In all of us lives an insatiable thirst for something: thirst for knowledge, love, wealth, or even approval from others. And there comes a point in all of our lives, when that certain thirst overpowers everything else that we’re willing to do all that it takes to satisfy that thirst. In the novel, Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha is a young man who is admired and respected by all. Siddhartha was the embodiment of what most people want to be; he was handsome, intelligent, graceful, kind, and above all else, Siddhartha was simply an exceptional human being. But “Siddhartha himself was not happy,” and this lack of happiness and purpose drives him to search for what he is missing (Hesse 5).

Siddhartha felt an overwhelming sense of unhappiness and purposelessness that he decides to leave his life behind in search for answers and an even greater purpose. His search leads him to the Samanas, a group of ascetics who believe that enlightenment can be reached by rejecting physical desires. The Samanas teach Siddhartha their ways but even with all the wisdom that Siddhartha gains from them, he still felt an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction and aimlessness that he decides to continue his search. His wanderings lead him to the Ilustrious Buddha, Gotama. From the ways of Buddhism and teachings of Gotama, Siddhartha finally reaches a profound conclusion that, “[He] will learn from himself, be [his] own pupil; [he] will learn from [himself] the secret of Siddhartha” (Hesse 39). How ironic is it that Siddhartha took on such an arduous journey just to find answers for the questions only he holds the answers for.

I feel that all of us can definitely relate with Siddhartha’s story, one way or another. However, teenagers my age may have an even more profound connection with his story than others because we are at that point in our lives when we want to figure out our purpose, our dreams, and our desires for the future. But it can be difficult to determine those things when we don’t fully know ourselves yet. I, for one, somewhat already have an image of what I want for myself in the future but those plans are definitely open to any adjustments I may need to make according to what I decide on in the near or distant future. And I feel that one important message that readers can pick up from Siddhartha’s story is that life is all about changes and that sometimes getting lost is one way to find one’s self.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:29:14 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good evidence.

Reply

Terry Ng

9/2/2015 02:52:34 pm

Identity is an important part of a person’s life, it is what makes individuals different from one another. Throughout life, one will constantly search for who they truly are, their identity. In this endless adventure to find their identity, one will gain many experiences that will contribute to their identity. In the novel, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the main character adventures out of his village to find his purpose in life, his identity. The main character, Siddhartha has always followed the teaching of his father and the Brahmins around him. He believes that his father and the people in his village are lacking something, something important that Siddhartha must find for himself by venturing out into the world. Siddhartha is searching for his identity and his purpose.
Siddhartha was popular in his village; he was handsome, intelligent, and made everyone happy. However, “Siddhartha himself was not happy” (Hesse 5). Even though Siddhartha had everything a normal person would want, he was not happy, he wanted something more than just happiness. Siddhartha wanted to gain new knowledge, he wanted to expand his view of the world. With thoughts always flowing into his mind, he always thirsted for new knowledge and teachings to learn. Siddhartha began to suspect that his father and the Brahmins had already passed on to him “the bulk and best of their wisdom, that they had already poured the sum total of their knowledge into his waiting vessel; and the vessel was not full, his intellect was not satisfied” (Hesse 5). Siddhartha wanted more, he wanted to reach a new height of knowledge. Similar to Siddhartha, I also want to find my identity and purpose in life by gaining knowledge. Throughout my life, I have always been taught that knowledge is important for my success. Not only was I taught this, but I was raised to believe it. At this point in my life, I still have yet to find out what my purpose or my identity is. Just like Siddhartha, I want to be able to thirst for knowledge even if I have surpassed my past teachers or peers.
Siddhartha’s journey to find his identity and purpose was through knowledge. He always thirsted for more knowledge despite the amount of knowledge that he already had. The concept of always wanting more is a good way to develop one’s identity and find one’s purpose in life.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:29:47 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good connections to topics discussed in class.

Reply

Ralph Sevilla

9/2/2015 02:56:59 pm

Sometimes directions can lead you to be lost. Following the directions precisely can actually be what is not intended for each individual. As for the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, it follows a young man named Siddhartha who goes through a journey wondering if the directions his following is right. The title of the book, Siddhartha, denotes the name of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama and the author, Hermann Hesse, illustrates the story of confusion in the character of Siddhartha within the story. The novel Siddhartha proposes that the character Siddhartha will go through multiple phases to find out who he is destined to be. Siddhartha is searching for "enlightenment" as well as who he really is and I can relate to this because I wonder where life will take me in the coming years.

Siddhartha, the son of the Brahmin, goes through a journey that leads him to assist and follow multiple teachers but yet he does not find himself to be connected with them. "If I were one of your followers, I fear that it would only be on the surface, that I would deceive myself that I was at peace" (Hesse 35). Within this quote from the novel explains how Siddhartha is looking for salvation meaning enlightenment, and he argues to the teaching, claiming that it has done nothing for him. This matters because it shows the wrong direction that he took to find enlightenment. This connects to the claim that Siddhartha is searching for enlightenment and his own self. Overall Siddhartha questioned himself and his own teacher, procrastinating if the teachings is what is going to lead him to the path that he is looking for.

Through the novel Siddhartha, it shows how one can take a path that leads to the wrong way and self-reassuring that an individual knows where he/she is in life. Siddhartha of the novel is searching for “enlightenment” and finding himself as a person. Each individual can have the same problem wondering who they are, thus making this novel relatable to almost anyone. The directions that an individual is following can sometimes be the wrong one, as in the case of Siddhartha. Though confusion can lead an individual to be lost, it can also lead to the right path which is what every individual is looking for.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:30:16 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good organization.

Reply

Andrea Zamarripa

9/2/2015 03:32:33 pm

The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse begins with Siddhartha who has a solid spiritual upbringing among the Brahmins. Brahmins are known to be members of the highest Hindu caste, that of the priesthood. Siddhartha is also known to many as a delighted person and a person who makes others happy. Among being positive Siddhartha is also full of knowledge. As a Brahmin Siddhartha would meditate Om, which represents unity and perfection usually with a friend named Govinda. However, “Siddhartha himself was not happy”(Hesse 5) he felt that there was something missing from his life.
Throughout the novel Siddhartha is searching for enlightenment. Although, Siddhartha makes others feel happy he wants to find out what it’s like to not crave so much knowledge. As times passes he tells his friend Govinda he will join a group of Samanas because they believe enlightenment can be reached through asceticism. Siddhartha wants to find out so much about himself he is frustrated and tells his friend that “[He has] always thirsted for knowledge. [He has] always been full of questions. Year after year” (Hesse 19). The Samanas are a group of starved and half naked men who go out to homes asking people for food. Govinda immediately questions him on what his father might think of his decision and Siddhartha ignores him. Later that afternoon, Siddhartha speaks to his father asking for permission to leave his house to follow the path of Samanas. His father objects and Siddhartha is shocked and doesn’t move until he hears his father accept his decision. Every hour Siddhartha’s father gets up to check on him and finally at last his father accepts and lets him go to explore what it’s like to be a Samanas. Siddhartha friends Govinda follows him and on their journey they are both excited to learn about Buddha’s teachings. After, they hear Buddha’s teachings immediately without a doubt Govinda becomes one of Buddha’s people. Siddhartha is in shock because for the first time Govinda was a able to make a decision himself. Siddhartha gives his friend his blessing not becoming one of Buddha’s people. He is then reconciled with thoughts of his father and decides to take on his own path without being a part of the Samanas. I can relate to Siddhartha in the sense that I am still finding out my identity. As a high school student I only know so much about myself. I have taken the opportunity to join sports, clubs, and college courses to find what interests me, but as time passes I still haven't figured out who I am. From this time on I know that every step I take in life will represent a part of my identity and will help me to figure out who I am.
To conclude, despite Siddhartha being a Brahmin to becoming a Samanas Siddhartha still seeks the meaning of life. As a person with strong beliefs Siddhartha is still trying to figure out what it is to be asceticism.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:30:49 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Conclusion is a good start but it is short.

Reply

Lesly Garcia Partida

9/2/2015 03:37:00 pm

Every each and one of us have at one point said or thought they would be happier if we had more money or if we were skinnier, it’s just part of how we think. The book Siddhartha is a perfect example of how people might have everything but might be unhappy with them self. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse was written in 1922, that is six centuries before the birth of Christ, in Switzerland. The main character of the novel is, Siddhartha who sets out on a journey of enlightenment and challenge the religious philosophies. Siddhartha has everything one would want, however he wants to be happy. Like most people today we always want something else, something better.
Siddhartha has everything anybody today is wishing for, he was loved by everyone and he “delighted and made everyone happy”, but he wasn’t happy. “Beloved by all, a joy to all, there was yet no joy in his own heart . . . He began to feel that the love of his father and mother. . would not make him happy”(Hesse 6). Siddhartha is loved by everyone, and he makes everyone around him happy, he is loved by his parents but that love isnt enough for him. This relates to me because I am loved by my parents and my friends. Even Though I am happy with the people around me, I always wonder what the other people think and how I can make them love me.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a great example of how people have everything they could ask for but are still unhappy with themselves. Even though the novel was written in 1922, we can all relate. We have all been in a situation with even though we are happy with the people around us we still wonder and want more people to like us. Are you happy with yourself.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:31:22 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. It was written in 1972.

Reply

Julie Ortiz

9/2/2015 03:51:24 pm

Life is just a matter of your own choices and if you like them or not, it doesn’t matter sometimes because it's already made. In the novel “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha is a praised person who is wealthy yet displeased. He wishes to know the world and everything that lies within it and around it. Eventually, goes on a journey to find enlightenment for himself. Siddhartha goes far beyond what most have done and gave up most of what he had. He is eager to know what lies ahead.
Siddhartha journey is for the reason that he believes that learning by the book, is not that same from learning outside the book. However his dear friend Gotama says, “Let me warn you, you who are thirsty for knowledge, against the thicket of opinions and the conflict of words. Opinions mean nothing...anyone can embrace them or reject them” (Hesse 31) Everyone believes that he has achieved his highest preliminary in his educational experience but himself. (Hesse 31). Eventually he find what he is looking for and wants more.
I relate to siddharth and his thirst for knowledge, I want to know as much as him. I wish to know the secrets of the world. Just exactly lies under the sea and what is there in space ? I like to learn and I would make time but there is so much to do. In such a tiny life, it really doesn’t fit. I will know as much as I can though.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:31:57 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Capitalize all your proper nouns.

Reply

Leonardo Ramirez

9/2/2015 04:12:47 pm

The search for knowledge has been one of passion and dedication; however, the search of one's self has been sometimes lost at cause of the search of knowledge . We have sometimes question the simplest things that happen to us in life; question complex ideas and knowledge already known, partially known, or the mysteries of the world. But some of us have not asked questions to ourselves about who we really are. In the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hessel, narrates the journey of Siddhartha in search of the ultimate goal of knowledge: to reach Nirvana and attain true enlightenment. In the journey, Siddhartha finds out that only he can attain his goals only after he has conquered himself, in other words, know and understand himself fully.

Siddhartha started his journey with a thirst for knowledge. Along the way, he learned that knowledge can be teached, but how the teacher learned this knowledge if not teached and how one process it, depends on the individual. After experiencing many things, Siddhartha learned about the Gotama, the man who has attained true enlightenment. In his encounter with the Gotama, even though he left his friend with the Gotama, "he has given to me (Siddhartha) Siddhartha, myself" (Hesse 36). Siddhartha found the true meaning of not knowing ourselves, which means that we cannot fully understand that knowledge if we do not know ourselves completely and process it based on what we think of it and reach a conclusion about it on our own. In my own experience, I can say this is right because I sometimes try to relate with what I learn. I do it mostly in history class. I try to put myself in the situation of someone significant; for example, president Harry Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb, and I pretended that I was him. I thought about the right thing to do and how it was possible to not have dropped the bomb. In this way, I tried to process this new knowledge in a new way and actually thinking what would I had done. This teaching actually let us realize that we can learn more when we know more about ourselves and reflect on it according to what we believe.

The will to learn is always good, but when we know fully about ourselves, we can learn more than just the knowledge learned and reflect on it on a higher level. The first and most important knowledge to seek is ourselves, because the full understanding of one's self can help you understand many other things.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:32:24 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good points made.

Reply

Eli Rodriguez

9/2/2015 04:13:36 pm

This very interesting memoir can relate to anyones life or change their perspective on life as in its whole self to help better themselves. This memoir of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse shows the metamorphosis he undergoes through his journey on finding knowledge. HIs journey had first started off as just wanting to be a Samana and learned he wanted to know more. In this book Siddhartha is a person who is loved and cherished by everyone around girls would want him and guys would want to be him or be his best friend. Because of this attraction he had one friend decided to go with Siddhartha to accompany him on his journey but did stick with him for too long since he fell in love with teachings of the Illustrious One. In Siddharthas journey what he he is looking for is knowledge and his identity and as him i myself am putting myself through a hard long journey to find a missing part of me.
Siddaharthas passion of starting off his journey is knowingly blocked by his father. Once he asks his father his father said no and Siddhartha showed his fierce passion when his fathe stands and walks away, "He returned again after an hour and again after two hours looked through the window and saw Siddhartha standing there in the moonlight...hour after hour...'Will you go on standing and waiting until it is day, noon, evening?' 'I will stand and wait' 'You will grow tired Siddhartha' 'I will grow tired' "(Hesse 11). This kept going but Siddhartha was willing to prove a point to take a stand in a respectful he eventually got his fathers approval and is now set on his journey to find his knowledge that he seeks and to find himself. This relates to me because I can see that passion in me and it's there whenever I need it just as Siddhartha and my passion for finding the part of me that is missing is just as important to me as it is to Siddhartha finding his knowlrdge and finding himself not letting anything holding him back or finding a way to get his way.
Overall, Siddhartha is just a very passionate person who wants to find himself and to fufill his thirst for knowledge but he is just like everyone including you. Everyone must find themselves in order to press on in life. What do you want to be when your older? Thats a question only you can answer yourself later on in your long journey of life.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:32:54 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good use of quotes.

Reply

Marc Peralta

9/2/2015 04:16:02 pm

At a point in a person's life they are dissatisfied with their life and feel the need to search for an answer. The novel, "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse, revolves around a young boy named Siddhartha and how he searches for answers to find himself. Siddhartha was a man who had everything he was rich, prosperous , but he wasn’t happy with it. He had thirst for knowledge. He began to question the world and his identity including his religion. This is what made Siddartha search for answers and change him to different religions which can change him to a completely new person reborn again. Siddhartha traveled with his best friend, Govinda, and they went on different paths later on. Siddhartha is searching for his identity and gaining knowledge until he is satisfied; I can relate to this because I have searched and have found out myself who I truly am.
Siddhartha questioned himself and the world around him. He questions that if the Brahmins culture is the one for him; he asks,”Was it really Prajapati who had created the world”(Hesse 6). These questions leads him to doubt his own religion and explore other religions in order to answer his questions about himself and the world. However, the answers he found through the teachings didn’t satisfy nor give himself an idea of who he is. He has, “become distrustful of teachings and learning” (Hesse 22). All these didn’t help Siddhartha on finding his true identity. He reflected off of these teachings and eventually it led him to become someone new. He was reborn as a new person that had just awoken because of everything he had experienced. Just like Siddhartha I search who I am in many ways. I searched it through my culture, religion. I finally found who I truly am and feel like a complete different person.
Siddhartha was in search for satisfaction on who he is. Even though he had everything in life, he wasn't happy. He was on a hunt to find his Identity. Siddhartha found himself and was a new person. Siddhartha's situation is the same for many people today. People want to be truly happy and be complete as a individual person in life.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:33:32 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good connections made.

Reply

Alejandra Hinojosa

9/2/2015 04:19:28 pm

Everyone will soon awaken and eventually find their true selves. Your identity is not given to you, it is made up of life experiences and choices. In the novel Siddhartha by Hermen Hesse is about a young man on a spiritual journey. In the beginning of his journey Siddhartha wishes to conquer the Self and through his awakening he wants to learn about himself. In the novel, Siddhartha, is searching for the meaning of life, just like every man in existence.

Siddhartha had left home on a quest to find enlightenment, joining the Samanas and their teachings. His only goal was to “Become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow - to let the Self die” (Hesse 14). He thought that once Self was dead, then he could experience peace. As Siddhartha first leaves to find his true identity he wishes to get rid of Self to seek the meaning of life. Once he encounters the Illustrious One, Siddhartha noticed the Buddha's peaceful state. After conversating he realized, “ He has given me something of greater value… he has given to me Siddhartha, myself” (Hesse 36). Siddhartha is in the period of his life where he finds himself, the secret of Siddhartha.

People will always be on the hunt for happiness. Just how Siddhartha was searching for the meaning of life. Everyone will go through a journey to find what is that they need to be content with their lives. I know that I am still looking for it, just like thousands of other people who wish to obtain their most desired goal. In order to accomplish my goal, I’d have to be open minded to other ideas like Siddhartha.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:36:03 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. I like that you write with authority. Keep practicing that.

Reply

Nayelie De Santiago

9/3/2015 04:59:39 am

To have your own identity in the world is as difficult as trying to solve an ap calculus problem without any background knowledge. Knowledge, experience, and personal insight all contribute to developing one’s personal identity. Identity is the set of qualities and beliefs that make one person or group different from others. In Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, the protagonist faces an internal conflict in having to find his own identity. Through various expectations already set for him he learns that self-identity comes from one’s own experiences. Both Siddhartha and Govinda join a group of poor ascetics in order to see if that would bring him joy and happiness.
In the beginning, Siddhartha tries to seek peace and contentment because he is not satisfied with himself. His “vessel is not full, his intelligence was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). He is ultimately not happy with his lifestyle because he continues to question the beliefs he is taught to believe. Similarly, I am currently not content with myself because I feel at confusion in terms of discovering my self-identity. Self-identity is developed when an individual develops his or her world views following a series of experiences. I am yet to experience the multiple experiences that will help shape my views of the world and further develop who I am as a person. Just like Siddhartha, I live in an environment where my future is pretty much already laid out for me due to my family’s prior experiences. It is my responsibility to question certain beliefs enforced in my heritage in order to break certain norms implied for people of both my gender and roots, just as Siddhartha does.
Siddhartha’s journey to find his identity and purpose was through his knowledge and need to question the views set upon him. He continued to follow his own path in order to find his true identity just as I am developing my own path in order to find who I am.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:37:02 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Good start. After you've added the additional body Paragraphs, please expand on your conclusion.

Through life many people try to find themselves. All over the world people often have hard time coming to term of who they are and what their purpose in life is. They spend a majority of their life finding themselves and learning to accept themselves for who they are and not what society says they are. The book Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a great example of how someone is trying to find themselves. In this book the main character name is Siddhartha and he is in search of himself, and his purpose in life. In this book Siddhartha is a young man who leaves his family for a more humble life than what he is used to. Siddhartha is a young man that everyone loves and many people respect him. Siddhartha is very smart and he is always seeking for knowledge. He has everything, yet he is not happy with his life. He doesn’t know who he is or what his purpose in life is. So Siddhartha decides to go find himself and his purpose by becoming a Samana, and does this with his good friend Govinda. Siddhartha is a great book, as it connects to the life of many people who are trying to find themselves and their purpose.
Siddhartha wants to find himself and what his purpose is. To do this he leaves his family and goes through several experiences when he decides to become a Samana. As Siddhartha goes through the process of finding himself he leaves everything that he was used to. He needs to beg for food, he leaves all his fancy clothes. He suffers as he lives in the forest. As he lives in the fores Siddhartha sees that "everything lied, stank of lies; they were all illusions of sense, happiness and beauty. All were doomed to decay. The world tasted bitter. Life was pain"(Hesse,14). As he lives as a Samana Siddhartha starts seeing how others live and how their happiness wasn't really happiness, and he used to live like that. He notices that everything was a lie, that he was living a lie. He didn't actually have much of a life.he discovers that Siddhartha sets a goal for himself. His goal was to "no longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought-that was his goal”(Hesse 14). Now that he wants to find himself Siddhartha wants to be able to disconnect and as he does to experience things that he didn't think were possible before. He is now doing things that his old self didn't do and by doing this he is discovering things about him about his life.
Through their lives many people try to find their-selves. They try to understand who they are and what their purpose in life is. Siddhartha by Herman Hesee is a book that reflects the idea of someone trying to find their-selves. Some may think that they have found who they are and their purpose in life, but that may not be true. Without experiencing new things people may not find things about themselves.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:37:34 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Great start.

Reply

Jonathan Contreras

9/9/2015 07:38:29 am

A great group of people once said “Money can’t buy me love.” This is true because having everything can still mean you have nothing. You need to be able to know yourself and with that you can learn to love yourself. When you know and you love yourself that you can do anything you want. You can do it because you know what you want out of life, whether it be, to be successful or just to become enlightened.
In the book Siddhartha it talks about how Siddhartha has everything money, looks, women everybody loved him “But Siddhartha himself was not happy,”(Rosner 5). He is going through life hating it feeling like time is passing him by. He then started learning the way of the Buddha. This, this is what makes him truly happy and he becomes obsessed with it because it's the one thing that makes him happy.
Nothing can make you happy unless you are happy with yourself. Siddhartha goes through a self loathing period but through learns to love himself. With love for one's self you are not only able to be happy but able to love others. He learns through the teachings of Buddha, through the teachings he learns to be happy.

Reply

Carrasco

9/11/2015 09:38:54 am

Thank you for posting on this blog. Your grade has been recorded. Remember to keep your writing up-to-date on the Senior Portfolio in Google Drive. Your starting quote may be a good connection but you don't know if it indeed was a great group of people. Change the wording.

Reply

Cinthia Montiel

9/12/2015 12:06:37 am

What drives humanity forward is their sense of purpose. People are constantly trying to find their place in the world and how they fit into it. In Siddhartha, it was evident just how much of a conflict this was for the main character. Siddhartha was a man who had everything people could only dream of having. He was loved and admired by everyone around him. He was the mere image of perfection in the eyes of everyone but himself. “Siddhartha himself was not happy” (Hesse 5). He lived dissatisfied and believed there was more to this life than what he was getting.

Siddhartha seemed to be everything but a conformist. He would not conform to only accepting the knowledge he was taught by the Brahmins. He would not conform to just accepting the love his family and Govinda gave him. He wanted more, and not in the selfish sense. He wanted answers to the questions he had about the world and about himself. Siddhartha’s “intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). Siddhartha was willing to leave his family and his lifestyle in order to satisfy his thirst for knowledge and truth and self discovery.

When I think of my journey of self discovery, I think of how I, like Siddhartha, am also one to question everything around me. I question religion and science and politics and just about anything that has the potential to bring on controversy. I seek to find the truth, not within others, but within myself because over the years I’ve learned that people aren’t liars, they just have different truths than mine.

Reply

Alexa Trujillo

9/16/2015 10:50:02 am

The Lost Soul
Identity is the combination of qualities and beliefs that make a particular person or group different from others. The complexity of this concept of knowing who you are and what is your purpose is a worry to every individual of society due to the fact that the majority are still in the process of their soon discovery. In the novel, “Siddhartha”, by Hermann Hesse introduces the life of a young, mature male named Siddhartha that is in the path of discovering his true purpose and meaning in life. In the first part of the novel, Siddhartha is having difficulties in discovering his true identity in his society and the world.

In the beginning of the novel, Siddhartha is seen as the perfect one to society’s eyes; however, he sees himself as a lost soul looking for his true self. The author states, “But Siddhartha himself was not happy...offering sacrifices in the depths of the shady mango wood with complete grace of manner, beloved by all, a joy to all, there was yet no joy in his own heart…[he] had begun to feel the seeds of discontent within him” (Hesse 5). The main character has a life fulfilled with many types of riches an individual can have: family love, shelter, nutrients, and physical and mental qualities. He has it all; however, he does not think this way. He believes he has not yet discovered who he truly is. He may follow leader routines and teachings and may be a son of the Brahmins, but he’s individuality is yet to be found. His life is not fulfilled until his purpose and meaning in society and the world is fulfilled.

Siddhartha can be described as a lost soul, a soul that is yet to be found. His journey to his identity is in progress in the beginning of the novel. He is surrounded by well-rounded philosophies and concepts and he yet he is still incomplete. The complexity of discovering one’s identity is a worry that every individual carries throughout their lives. Every individual can be compared to Siddhartha because everyone is in the process of discovering what makes one unique.